Summary: New research has discovered how the ventral shell of the nucleus accumbens ( vsNAc ) controls the sexual behavior pattern in male mice, from sniffing to ejaculation. Researchers used grain calibration to identify repetitive dopamine activity during intromission that is correlated with action habits and is regulated by choline sources.
Crucially, the last intromission prior to ejaculation displays a specific dopamine signal, and artificial acetylcholine neuron stimulation during this stage initiates ejaculation. These discoveries advance our understanding of sexual conduct regulation and provide the basis for the development of hormonal dysfunction linked to medical conditions and medications.
Important Information
- Dopamine Schedule: In vsNAc, repetitive dopamine release tracks behavioral transitions.
- Dopamine patterns that cause urination are modulated by acetylcholine neurons.
- Findings may have new therapeutic applications for hormonal function in despair or medication use.
University of Tsukuba
Male mice transition from an estrous female to ejaculating by following a typical sequence of erotic behaviors. This series includes intromission, mounting, and sniffing, all of which are essential for sexual success.
The precise mental processes underlying these behavioral transitions have remained a mystery up until now, though.
Researchers in this study demonstrated that serotonin, a crucial serotonin in the body’s reward system, is essential for controlling cognitive shifts. Utilizing grain calibration, they systematically assessed the nucleus accumbens, a region renowned for having a significant dopamine input, for dopamine insight patterns.
Their findings demonstrated that behavioral transitions were closely related to dopamine levels in a specific subregion, the ventral shell of the nucleus accumbens ( vsNAc ). Additionally, choline innervation of the vsNAc controlled the repetitive serotonin insight to the vsNAc during intromission, which aligns with female action designs.
Additionally, the study found that the last intromission prior to arousal had a different dopamine activity pattern compared to earlier intromissions. This serotonin response was instantly triggered by artificially stimulating choline neurons during intromission, which in turn caused ejaculation.
These findings provide the first direct indication that a particular nucleus accumbens region is essential for controlling urination and sexual conduct. Hormonal dysfunction is a well-known side effect of psychiatric disorders like depression as well as some psychotropic medications.
These revelations provide new strategies for developing remedies for ejaculatory problems and related conditions, as well as potential improvements for treatments for those who have medical disorders or medication-induced function.
Funding: This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI ( JP21J22555 and JP24K23231 to A. M. ), AMED under Grant JP21zf0127005 ( to Q. L. ), Japan’s MEXT program, and the New Cornerstone Science Foundation.
About this information about neuroscience research
Author: YAMASHINA NAKO
Source: University of Tsukuba
Contact: YAMASHINA Naoko – University of Tsukuba
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
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SAKURAI, Takeshi, and colleagues ‘” Sequential Moves of Male Sexual Behaviors Driven by Two Acetylcholine-Dopamine Dynamics” is a paper on this topic. a nerve
Abstract
Chronological Moves in Male Sexual Behaviors Caused by Two Acetylcholine-Dopamine Dynamics
The neural mechanisms that govern male sexual behavior’s sequential transitions, including mounting, intromission, and ejaculations, are generally unexplored.
In male mice, the ventral shell of the nucleus accumbens ( vsNAc ) is controlled by acetylcholine (ACh )- dopamine ( DA ) dynamics.
The vsNAc exhibits a distinctive pattern of dual ACh-DA rhythms during intromission, which is caused by reciprocal regulation of ACh and DA signaling via nicotinic ACh receptors ( nAChRs ) and DA D2 receptors ( D2Rs ).
The presence of intromission and ejaculation is lessened by the knockdown of choline acetyltransferase ( ChAT ) or D2R in the vsNAc. DA signaling is maintained by sexual behavior by inhibiting D2RvsNAc  neurons, according to implantable manipulations.
ACh signaling also facilitates the intromission-ejaculation move by causing a decline in DA music, facilitating the introduction of mounting and intromission, and promotes the introduction of mounting and intromission.
Together, these results demonstrate that organized ACh-DA interactions in the vsNAc are essential for the organization of male sexual behavior’s sequential transitions.
